Busbars and similar electrical power conducting assemblies



March 7, 1961 H. w. M. KING 2,974,205

BUSBARS AND SIMILAR ELECTRICAL POWER CONDUCTING ASSEMBLIES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 5, 1957 H. W. M. KING March 7, 1961 2,974,205

BUSBARS AND SIMILAR ELECTRICAL POWER CONDUCTING ASSEMBLIES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 5, 1957 United States Patent BUSBARS AND SIMILAR ELECTRICAL POWER CONDUCTING ASSEMBLIES Henry Walter Mayer King, Argyle Works, Steveuage,

. Hertfordshire, England Filed July 5, 1957, Ser. No. 670,039 7 Claims priority, application Great Britain July 6, 1956 1 Claim. (Cl. 191-25) This invention is concerned with busbars and like electrical power conducting assemblies.

In factories, workshops and the like it is common practice to arrange busbars or power conductors within a support of channelled section, such support incorporating running or guide surfaces in turn serving to support mobile collector trolleys or carriers having contact elements arranged to contact the busbars or conductors. With such arrangements the trolleys or carriers, which may be associated with the load carriers of a conveyor system or with mobile tools or other equipment, are free to travel along the channelled support while at the same time providing means whereby current will be conducted from the busbars or conductors to the load carriers, tools or other equipment. With such known arrangements while the busbars or conductors are protected or shielded to a large extent by the channelled support the mouth of the latter through which the body of the trolley passes nevertheless provides an opening which extends along the entire length of the support and thus exposes or allows free access to the busbars or conductors which is a possible source of danger since an operator may, for example, by inadvertently introducing his hand or a tool or implement into the opening contact the live busbars or conductors.

It is the object of the present invention to evolve a construction wherein the danger indicated above may be obviated and in accordance therewith in a busbar assembly wherein the busbars or conductors are disposed within a channelled support along which a contact carrying trolley or carrier is adapted to move there is provided a flexible or pliable strip of insulating material which is adapted to mask or close the opening or mouth of the channelled support, there being means associated with the trolley or carrier or the latter being so constructed that, despite the presence of the strip, passage of said trolley or carrier along the channelled support will not be hindered. Conveniently the strip of insulating material may comprise a so-called plastic material such as polyvinyl chloride.

In order that the said invention maybe clearly understood and readily carried into effect the same will be hereinafter more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a part of a busbar assembly and shows a plough device which is associated with a collector trolley or carrier,

Figure 2 is a plan view of the plough device as shown in Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a part sectional end elevational view looking from the left of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Referring now to the drawings denotes a channel member in the base of which a bed or block 11 of insulating material is disposed such bed or block being adapted to locate and to support busbars or electrical current conductors 12. In the embodiment illustrated the upper edge portions of the walls of the channel member 10 A 2,914,205 Patented Mar. 7, 1961 are in-turned as indicated at 13 thereby to provide two parallel guide tracks or running surfaces which will serve to guide a mobile collector trolley or carrier 14 having contact elements 15 adapted to cooperate in known manner with the busbars or conductois 12. It may be mentioned here that the trolley or carrier 14 may be of any conventional design.

Located within the channel member 10 to extend lengthwise thereof is a flexible strip 16 of insulating material e.g. polyvinyl chloride, which latter is adapted completely to mask the busbars or conductors 12 so as to prevent undesired access thereto. It will be appreciated that in order to allow for passage of the trolley or carrier 14 along the channel member 10 with the flexible strip 16 in position in the latter it will be necessary to provide means whereby, as the trolley or carrier moves along said channel member the strip 16 will be flexed and displaced from the channel in the immediate vicinity of said trolley or carrier. For that purpose there is provided a plough device indicated generally by 17 such device comprising in the embodiment illustrated two complementary halves or sections which are adapted to be applied over the opposite edge portions of the strip 16 and to be bolted to the trolley or carrier 14. The plough device when assembled will incorporate a tow bar such as indicated at 18 to which a chain or other means serving to couple the carrier or trolley to a piece of equipment, e.g. a hoist, may be attached. As will be seen from the drawings and particularly from Figures 3 and 4 the opposite end parts of the plough device are so formed that on assembly of said device there will be present at each end thereof a substantially inverted U shaped guide channel 19 adapted to cause the strip 16 to be flexed to a substantially inverted U shape such that its edge portions will be clear of the in-turned edges 13 of the channel member. The construction is such that with the trolley or carrier moving in the direction of the arrow A (Figure 1 the leading end of the plough device will flex the strip 16 and cause it to assume a substantially inverted U shape as it passes into said device so that the edge portions thereof will be clear of the edges 13 of the channelled member. The strip 16 will be guided over the top of the trolley or carrier gradually flattening out as it passes from the leading end and over the top of the trolley whereafter it will again be progressively flexed so that at the trailing end of the plough device it will again be of substantially inverted U shape thereby to allow its edge portions to re-enter the channel member 10.

It will be appreciated that with the construction above described and illustrated the busbars or conductors 12 will be protected or shielded at all times since although the strip 16 is actually removed from the channel member 10 in the immediate vicinity of the trolley or carrier 14 there will be no access to the busbars or conductors at that point as the trolley or carrier and the plough device will together form an effective shield.

By virtue of the incorporation of a strip of insulating material within and extending along the length of the channel it will be apparent that the busbars or conductors will be completely masked, or shielded at all times and that the possibility of undesired contact therewith will be entirely eliminated. It will also be apparent that should for any reason it be required to gain access to the busbars or conductors for repair or maintenance work the strip may readily be removed.

I claim:

An electrical current conducting assembly associated with a trolley of a conveyor system comprising an up wardly opening channelled casing including longitudinally extending uppermost portions in the form of inturned lips, electrical current conductors supported within and at the bottom of said casing, said trolley being movable longitudinally of and within said casing and in contact with said conductors, a flexiblestrip of electrical insulator material disposed within and at the bottom of said casing to mask said conductors, said strip extending lengthwise of said casing and being of such a width that the longitudinal edge portions thereof will underlie said lips, and plough means coupled to said trolley for movement therewith and projecting forwardly and rearwardly thereof, said plough means transversely flexing portions of said strip immediately preceding and following said trolley and including arched guide means to bend said strip into arched form transversely and longitudinally of said casing so that said edge portions will clear said lip portions and to permit travel of the trolley along said contacts, said guide means being of'a shape for guiding said strip over the top of said trolley and at least in part out of the casing between said lips and for positively guiding said strip into said casing immediately to the rear of said trolley.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 508,083 Brain Nov. '7, 1893 584,639 Jones Iune15, 1897 795,821 Craven Aug. 1, 1905 

